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Now is a best time to buy homes, say consumers in NoBroker survey

The latest consumer sentiment survey by NoBroker.com indicates that 65% of consumers think that it is the best time to buy a property.

June 6, 2020: According to a recent survey conducted by Nobroker.com, 65% of consumers believe that it is the best time to buy a home as property prices have been constant for few years, home loan interest rates are low and many builders are offering great discounts. With most professionals working from home, and greater time at their disposal, they have the much-needed time to do the preliminary research.

Although the outlook for real estate looks less promising due to the current pandemic, about 54% of consumers are expecting a significant drop in the prices of the residential properties as the market currently has a lot of unsold inventory. Consumers are of the view that developers would want to get rid of piled up inventory to boost their cash flows.

According to a press release issued by the company, the purpose of the survey was to check the impact of Covid-19 on consumer sentiment. It was given out to potential buyers (who are currently searching for properties on our database) and tenants to understand how their priorities have shifted. 11,580 people responded to the survey. It was conducted across the cities of Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi NCR.

Consumer considerations:

Budget, safety and water supply stood out as key considerations for finalizing a property. About 36% of consumers are looking to purchase a house within 3 months timeframe and nearly 28% are looking at a timeframe of 3-6 months.

Consumer preferences:

59% consumers have stated that would prefer to live in an apartment society over an independent house as societies offer more amenities. Also water supply, groceries, power back-up and safety are less of a concern in society. As many as 92% are looking to buy residential properties. NoBroker’s annual survey indicated a steady rise of interest in commercial properties as an investment option. But the current crisis has tilted the choice in favor of residential accommodation. 86% of consumers prefer ready-to-move-in homes as there is some amount of distrust in under-construction projects due to uncertain timelines.

Unavailability of construction workers has worsened the situation in some scenarios. 2BHKs are still the most popular choice for about 48% of consumers.

Improvisation in times of quarantine:

Interestingly, many consumers have quickly adapted to shortlisting of properties via video walkthroughs. 45% consumers have cited that the process is less time-consuming, economical and more efficient.

Roadblocks:

Job uncertainty and liquidity crunch were cited as the major hindrances in buying a house. This is also probably why there is greater demand for houses within the budget of INR 60 lakhs. It is also probably why 79% of consumers are looking to purchase a property without using broker services.

The current situation has allowed some doubts to be crept in but it has also brought consumers closer to realizing the importance of owning a home. As India unlocks slowly, the lower interest rates and good deals have created a pent-up housing demand and many buyers believe it’s a great opportunity to buy their dream home.